SMS: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

by Holly on June 14, 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds. Even the name is genius! You know, I can’t really say that all chocolate chip cookie recipes are created equal. I also can’t say for sure, but I am fairly certain I have never had a chocolate chip cookie with almonds, toasted or otherwise, in it.

What I can say, without any doubt at all, is that this week’s recipe, as voted upon by myself and my fellow bakers – which is being hosted by Lorelai and Melissa Murphy herself, is in now in the top three of my very favorite chocolate chip cookies (rounding out the top three would be the NY Times chocolate chip cookies and the ones at Paradise Bakery).

The recipe is really quite easy and friendly to put together. While there are some extra steps involved – toasting almonds, chopping your own chocolate, chilling, rolling logs, cutting, etc. – it is oh so worth it. I actually did the recipe + half and ended up with three nice logs of cookie dough. I baked one, gave one to some friends that let us crash their family dinner as a last minute hostess gift, and the other is happily nestled in my freezer – waiting until I have another immediate craving.

The toasted almonds really set this recipe apart and are amazing in the baked cookies. That said, let me just tell you what my favorite part was. In fact, I have a little bit of a terrible confession to go along with it.

In high school I don’t recall that I ever ate lunch in the cafeteria – in fact, I’m not sure that I ever even went to lunch in the cafeteria. We were allowed an open campus for lunch and always visited a variety of places. Probably the strangest lunches I ever ate though were when we went to grocery store. It is a rather awful testament to my sweet tooth that on more than one occasion we would buy a tube of cookie dough, cut it open and eat it for lunch.

Obviously, I never went through a real healthy eating phase. That said, I rarely want to eat cookie dough anymore. That is, until today.

I knew these cookies were going to be amazing because one little taste of the dough and for the very first time in years I really just wanted to grab a spoon and dig in!

I'm all over almonds in anything since I LOVE that flavor! I'll definitely put these on my must try list. I've never been big on cookie dough, but my daughter prefers cookies in frozen dough balls from the freezer. I may have created a monster!

We had closed campus in high school, so we never ate cookie dough. ;( I just baked a big batch of the NYT cookie yesterday, but after seeing all the SMS cookies with almonds…..sigh. I've actually made the NYT cookie with Hershey's chocolate/almond bar and extra added almonds. SO good. Now I must try Melissa's recipe. NYT is my current fave. But I love trying new recipes! Yours look delicious!

I'm not a cookie dough eater, but I snuck a little too! In fact, I scraped the bowl as clean as I could get it after I had made my cookies. My husband was quite dismayed that I hadn't left any for him! Great job on your cookies!

Hi Kim – we actually don't post the recipe on our blogs unless it is our turn to host. If you follow the link, in this case to the Sweet Melissa Sundays blog, you will find the recipe. The recipe can also, of course, be found in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book.

You are TOO funny. Don't be ashamed of your old cookie-dough eating ways… you're certainly not alone, and many would argue eating the raw dough is the best part. Now, I've never heard of stopping by the market just to break open a tube, but I think that's hilarious!

Quick question for you… I think I told you last week I'm a proud Baking GAL as well, and I'd really like to get the logo link thingy (sorry I don't know the right internet lingo!) to put on my blog. Is there any way you could let me know how to get it on my site? I would really appreciate your help. If it's not too much trouble, you can email me at joy.d.saunders@gmail.com or just leave a comment on my blog. I'd love for you to check out my cookies anyways!

I'm
the Mama to two wild little boys and one very sweet baby girl with Down
syndrome. I'm also married to a skydiver/wind tunnel instructor/BASE Jumper.
This all makes for an interesting life at our house.

So, in an attempt to keep what sanity motherhood and marriage leave me with, I
am trying to conquer my world, one recipe at a time. Cheaper than therapy, and
much more tasty!